Berri to Al-Manar: Saniora΄s Practices Are Real Conspiracy

Source: Al-Manar TV, 12-02-2009

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri assailed, once again, Prime Minister Fouad Saniora for seeking to delete the appropriate budget for the South for Council as a real conspiracy.
Speaking to a delegation from Al-Manar, Berri said he agrees with Saniora that the complete issue was related to the elections. "But the question is who is exploiting it for electoral purposes," he noted.

"Saniora is behaving this way because he falsely thinks that preventing compensations and services for people would lead them to turn them away from the Resistance," Berri emphasized. He found similarities between Saniora's practices and what's happening in Gaza following the "Israeli" aggression.

The Parliament Speaker noted that Saniora's recent comments as complete delusion and misguidance, accusing the Prime Minister of hiding the truth before the public opinion. While noting that LP 300,000,000,000 were specified to the Council for South since the year 2001, Berri emphasized that not even one pound has been spent yet in the right direction.

The Parliament Speaker denied rumors of compromises taking place over the issue. He said that Saniora was behaving with the narrow mentality of the accountant. "It has been proven to me, with the naked eye, that he likes to issue laws in order to know how to violate them and of course not implement them," Berri added.

Berri told Al-Manar that he will stick to his stance, stressing that it's based on the law and right. He declared that he would not accept giving up the rights of the people, especially those who were subject to the heaviest losses as a result of the recurrent "Israeli" aggressions against the country.

Berri renewed his call to re-vivify the ministry of Planning so that it takes the place of all councils and coffers with no exception. He said that he had discussed the proposal with the Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, stating that approving the proposal was an opportunity that cannot be missed.

The Speaker also tackled during his interview with Al-Manar the topic of wiretapping, saying that he was supporting wiretapping when it turns to be in the State's interest but insisted that the issue must remain in conformity with the law.

Meanwhile, Berri said that the democracy of consensus was a duty in a country like Lebanon. He said that whoever stands against it was standing against Lebanon, not against one party. "Whoever rejects this kind of democracy has to review the history of Lebanon and its Constitution," Berri pointed out.

Berri commented on the recent comments of the head of the Future Movement MP Saad Hariri without naming him, mainly his saying that he would not take part in the government if the national opposition won the forthcoming parliamentary elections. "Such logic cannot stand erect in Lebanon," the Speaker emphasized, expecting once again that no specific bloc would emerge victorious following the elections. "The variance between the winning and the losing blocs would not exceed two or three parliamentary seats," Berri stressed.

In another topic, Berri called to convene an Arab-Iranian dialogue as soon as possible. "Such dialogue should take place swiftly under the title of self-defense following the results of the ‘Israeli' elections where the "Israeli" Bermuda triangular has triumphed," the Speaker said. He noted that the first inevitable step following the elections should be a meeting between Arabs and Iranians in a dialogue that could be followed by an Islamic Summit in Turkey or Iran or Saudi Arabia. Berri revealed that he has submitted this proposal to the Turkish President and Prime Minister ahead of the "Israeli" elections.